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New pit bull ordinance in Warren

New pit bull ordinance on Warren council table By Brian C. Louwers
C & G Staff Writer
WARREN — As soon as this week, the Warren City Council could take action on a new pit bull ordinance with more teeth.
But while the lure of new rules governing the dogs has some citing a need for increased safety in the community, not everyone is biting.
“It’s an ordinance specifically directed at pit bulls. Council just said, all they asked our office to do, was to look into pit bulls and get in as much protection as possible for residents,” $#@!istant Warren City Attorney Bill Hackel said last week. “What you have in that ordinance basically requires that if you are not at your house, the dog has got to be inside the house; and if you’re going to take the dog for a walk, it has got to be muzzled.”
Another component of the proposed ordinance would make it a violation to have a pit bull running loose in the yard of a business for protection.
Owners of pit bulls would also be required to have the dog spayed or neutered.
Hackel said the ordinance differs from a “vicious dog ordinance” currently on the books in Warren in that it addresses pit bulls directly.
The ordinance appeared on the Warren City Council’s agenda for June 23 but it was tabled at the beginning of the meeting.
The proposed ordinance was set to appear as a tabled item when the council convened again on July 14, after the Warren Weekly went to press.
Diana McKay of Redford said her city had a ban on pit bulls that it lifted four years ago.
“It wasn’t working,” said McKay, who spent seven years working with various breeds of dogs, including pit bulls, at a local rescue shelter.
McKay said she currently works to educate people about the dogs through the Web site www.wonderbull.com and that she keeps several pit bulls herself.
“From what I understand, they (Warren) already have a pretty decent vicious dog ordinance that’s not breed specific. If they would just start enforcing it,” McKay said. “They should actually start utilizing the current law and getting people who have not registered their dogs in cities and that are not following the leash laws.”
McKay said muzzling all pit bulls and singling them out for aggressive behavior doesn’t address the real issue.
“The real issue is we have to enforce the laws we currently have before we create new ones,” McKay said. “It doesn’t address the issue of safety. The people that they’re targeting are irresponsible pet owners in general. They’re not going to follow new rules and laws.
“Irresponsible dog owners of any breed run rampant in the country. It’s important to remember that any dog can bite.”
Warren Police Lt. Louis Galasso, who oversees the department’s Animal Control officers, said the department would need to look at ways of enforcing the ordinance fairly and effectively, should the council approve it. It could mean more training.
“From the Police Department’s standpoint, we certainly encourage and endorse any type of ordinance that would be passed that would improve public safety and create a safer living environment. Of course, there has to be a balance between having that safety net available and having something that’s functional from an enforcement aspect,” Galasso said. “I endorse any type of ordinance that is not too demanding in terms of liberties among pet owners that would safeguard the community.”You can reach Staff Writer Brian C. Louwers at brianlouwers@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1089.:eek: